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African-American Christian Female Missionaries in Nyasaland, Congo The University of San Francisco USF Scholarship: a digital repository @ Gleeson Library | Geschke Center Doctoral Dissertations Theses, Dissertations, Capstones and Projects 5-2019 African-American Christian Female Missionaries in Nyasaland, Congo, and Liberia: Perpetuation and Resistance at the Intersections of Blackness, Gender, Disability, and Christianity Karen Yvette Dace Follow this and additional works at: https://repository.usfca.edu/diss Part of the Special Education and Teaching Commons The University of San Francisco AFRICAN-AMERICAN CHRISTIAN FEMALE MISSIONARIES IN NYASALAND, CONGO, AND LIBERIA: PERPETUATION AND RESISTANCE AT THE INTERSECTIONS OF BLACKNESS, GENDER, DISABILITY, AND CHRISTIANITY A Dissertation Presented to The Faculty of the School of Education Department of Special Education In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Education by Karen Yvette Dace San Francisco May 2019 © 2019 K.Y. Dace THE UNIVERSITY OF SAN FRANCISCO Dissertation Abstract African-American Christian Female Missionaries in Nyasaland, Congo, and Liberia: Perpetuation and Resistance at the Intersections of Blackness, Gender, Disability, and Christianity Events are taking place in the United States today regarding blackness, gender, disability, and Christianity, and the perceived place of those with black and brown bodies. Current efforts have focused on blackness and gender, blackness and disability, gender and disability, and disability and Christianity; but there has not been concerted efforts focusing on the historical intersections of blackness, gender, disability, and Christianity and how these intersections help in understanding the contemporary black social movement and the climate in which we now live. The purpose of this qualitative study sought to understand the narratives of Christian mission agencies and how African-American Christian women in the late 1800s and early 1900s were shaped by these narratives. The study also sought to understand how these women perpetuated and resisted the idea of these narratives in Liberia, Congo, and Nyasaland and the implications for black women in today’s America. There are several major findings of this study: (1) White mission agencies misrepresented Africans as disabled, dependent, and uncivilized and in need of civilizing, (2) African-American Christian female missionaries’ lived experiences in Africa changed over time, from affirming white Christian mission agencies false representations about Africans to refuting those representations, and (3) African-American Christian missionaries posed threats to the political, gender, and social hierarchy of white missionaries in Africa. ii In light of the findings, as Giddings remarked, black women “must search our history for an answer to the question, who are we as ourselves…the faith in progress that our forebears taught was not only in terms of our status in society, but in our ability to gain increasing control of our own lives”. It may be a new beginning for all, as a modern- day rendering of Isaiah reads, in part – “Those who are oppressed will be encouraged and enabled to free themselves. Abilities rather than disabilities will be what counts. All who are blind to their own and others’ oppression will come to new insights. And God will pardon all at the jubilee. That is liberation.” iii This dissertation, written under the direction of the candidate’s dissertation committee and approved by the members of the committee, has been presented to and accepted by the Faculty of the School of Education in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Education. The content and research methodologies presented in this work represent the work of the candidate alone. ___Karen Yvette Dace_______________ ___30 April 2019____________ Candidate Date Dissertation Committee __Dr. Emily Nusbaum________________ ____30 April 2019_________ Chairperson __Dr. Candice Harrison________________ ____30 April 2019_____ __Dr. Nicola McClung_________________ ____30 April 2019_______ iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This has been a long journey, and there are so many who have helped me along the way. Thank you to the ladies in Monday night Bible study who prayed for me faithfully and encouraged me frequently. Thank you to Diana and Susie who also prayed for me faithfully, encouraged me frequently, and sent text messages and emails checking in. I also want to thank my siblings – Danielle, Donna, Elaine, and Robert – who never gave up hope that I would finish! Thank you to my parents for their support. Finally, special thanks to my committee members – Dr. Emily Nusbaum, Dr. Candice Harrison, and Dr. Nicola McClung – who spent countless hours reading and rereading my numerous drafts and provided needed pep talks when I seemed to fall off the track. v TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT ........................................................................................................................ ii SIGNATURE PAGE ......................................................................................................... iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .................................................................................................v LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................................ vii CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................1 Purpose and Significance of the Research ...............................................................6 Research Questions ..................................................................................................7 Conclusion ...............................................................................................................8 CHAPTER 2: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY .................................................................9 Restatement of Research Questions .........................................................................9 Research Design.....................................................................................................10 Data Collection ......................................................................................................11 Data Analysis .........................................................................................................12 Summary ................................................................................................................34 CHAPTER 3: MISSION AGENCY NARRATIVES AND THE INTERSECTIONS OF BLACKNESS, GENDER, DISABILITY, AND CHRISTIANITY ............................35 Introduction ............................................................................................................35 Slavery’s Impact on Black American Women.......................................................36 The Narratives of White Missionaries and Mission Agencies...............................40 Blackness, Gender, and Disability .........................................................................41 Summary ................................................................................................................45 The Narratives of Black Missionaries and Mission Agencies ...............................46 Blackness, Gender, and Disability .........................................................................51 Summary ................................................................................................................53 CHAPTER 4: FINDINGS .................................................................................................55 Introduction ............................................................................................................55 Finding 1 ................................................................................................................55 Finding 2 ................................................................................................................56 Finding 3 ................................................................................................................58 Conclusion .............................................................................................................65 CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION ..........................................................................................66 REFERENCES ..................................................................................................................71 APPENDIX A: AMERICAN BLACK FEMALE MISSIONARIES IN AFRICA UP TO 1934 .......................................................................................................................88 vi LIST OF TABLES Table Page 01 Primary Sources .....................................................................................................12 02 Color-Coded Primary Sources ...............................................................................18 03 Coding Memo – Blackness ....................................................................................25 04 Coding Memo – Gender ........................................................................................26 05 Coding Memo – Disability ....................................................................................28 06 Coding Memo – Christianity .................................................................................28 07 Blackness and Disability........................................................................................30 08 Blackness, Disability, and Christianity ..................................................................30
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